Things To Do in Sihanoukville

Ream National Park

Sihanouk National Park is more commonly called Ream National Park, for the district in which it is located. It was established in 1993. It encompasses a large portion of the coastal area, including sandy beaches, mangrove forests, the Prek Tuk Sap Estuary, offshore coral reefs, and two islands (Koh Thmei and Koh Seh). It is also the habitat of elusive creatures such as macaques, sun bears, dolphins, mouse deer, pangolin, and over a hundred species of birds; and some say that it is also home to a tiger although there are no proven sightings. Guesthouses and tour operators in Sihanoukville offer a number of different tours of the park including jungle trekking and riverboat trips along the Prek Tuk River through the jungle and mangroves and on to the sea. The river trip is the most popular tour and is also the most likely to yield sightings of wildlife. Most tours are less than a half-day. The nearby Kbal Chhay waterfalls are spectacular and refreshing in wet season, although in dry season they virtually cease to exist. It is a good place for a picnic. Tours may be arranged through a tour operator directly through the Park at the Park Office (located 23km/20 miles north of Sihanoukville, 500m/1,640 ft. off Rte. 4 on Airport Rd., opposite the entrance to the airport; tel. 012/875-096 or 215-759). The park office is open daily from 7am to 5pm.

Cooking Courses

If you want to learn how to create Khmer cuisine yourself, Traditional Khmer Cookery (335 Ekareach St.; tel. 092/738-615) offers courses for $25 per person starting at 10am. They teach you how to create a range of dishes including amok, banana flower salad, beef lok lak, fish soup, and pumpkin custard. Book a day in advance.

Cinema

The delightfully odd Top-Cat Cinema (road to Serendipity; tel. 011/617-799) is a great way to polish off a day spent baking on the beach. This large air-conditioned cinema is furnished with comfy furniture and loungers. Movies cost $3 per person or a group of five or more can rent the whole cinema for 2 hours for $15. You can also play video games on the giant screen -- a fact best kept from children if you ever want them to see daylight again.

Sihanoukville is a late-night party town, though venues are spread out and the streets are dark. Be aware that in some places there is an underlying vibe of either serious drug abuse or prostitution or both. The sound systems along Ochheuteal Beach blast late into the night and often early into the morning and there are often beachside parties. Chiva's Shack is Ochheuteal's first beach bar and restaurant and serves great food, drinks, and unique sunset happy-hour cocktails right on the beach. They have beach parties every Tuesday and Friday. More bars are concentrated at the north end of the beach around Serendipity. Golden Lions Plaza, on Kanda Street a few blocks from the beach, is home to a number of late-night drinking dens, the most popular of which is the Shipwreck -- a place where one encounters interesting characters of all sorts. One gets the impression that it would be a good place to make shady foreign deals while being lulled by the rich baritone of Johnny Cash. The downside of this place is the breathtaking rudeness of the bar staff. Utopia on the road to Serendipity is a very late-night bar and disco. The bar staff here is made up of young Western backpackers, and the place has a kind of unpleasant and druggy vibe. Avoid Victory Hill, now home to a slew of depressing and sleazy "hostess" bars. One of the best and most bizarre places to party in Sihanoukville is at the Airport on Victory Beach. This Russian-owned place is a disco hangar in which there is a real Antonov 24 prop plane. Until very recently these dubious machines were in service flying to Siem Reap and Battambang -- the ramshackle airborne shower that was President Airlines. It is a welcome sight to see this one firmly decommissioned and grounded. They serve a full range of cocktails and it gets hopping only after 10pm. It is a beach bar during the day. It is place that could be truly called bizarre beyond bizarre. The Fishermen's Den and Sports Bar downtown is the place to catch the game of your choice. They show a full range of sports.